Help please!

We'll be on a cruise that stops in Ensenada this coming Sat. Can anyone suggest what the best brand of Vanilla might be. I'm not familiar with the different brands. Not looking for the cheapest brand per se, but the best quality one.

Also, I'm looking for a "casuela" (sp?), does anyone know of the best place to buy kitchen stuff? I'm looking for Mexican-style cooking dishes...the kind that are terra cotta on the outside but have a shinny finish on the inside that you can use to cook in the oven. I'm also looking for dishes and serving bowls and platters.

Thanks for any suggestions!:D

The correct spelling is "cazuela". I don't have a recommended place to buy the cookware you are looking for. There are a number of local cooking classes offered as an excursion. The "school" may be able to point you in the right direction.

I'm sure somebody will bring it up so I might just as well do it first. It is possible that locally made cazuela may have been finished with a glaze that contains lead. Unless you are on a mission to buy cazuela in a store in Mexico, just buy what you need from Amazon or some other online store that sells lead-free product.

Enjoy!

The lead warning is absolutely true. I went to school in Mexico in the 60's and we were warned about not using the pottery for anything other than decoration. Potters have since largely switched to non-lead glazes, but that may not completely protect you. See http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm233531.htm for more information.

Thanks for sharing that information. Wow! I never thought about the lead problem. I got the idea of using a cazuela from watching one of Bobby Flay's brunch episodes. He used it in the oven to cook shrimp and it looked so easy and fun to do. I guess I'll go on Amazon and see if I can find what I want. Thank you all so much!

Anyone have any hints about Vanilla brands?

Thanks for sharing that information. Wow! I never thought about the lead problem. I got the idea of using a cazuela from watching one of Bobby Flay's brunch episodes. He used it in the oven to cook shrimp and it looked so easy and fun to do. I guess I'll go on Amazon and see if I can find what I want. Thank you all so much!

 

Anyone have any hints about Vanilla brands?

There is a shop across from Mc Donalds that has every type of cazuela you might want, don't remember the name but it has a green striped awning atop it. Rick Bayless uses cazuelas and says they're fine if you don't use them for acidic stuff. I bought a small one for quacamole and a little piggy one for salsas. The best vanilla is by "Orlando's". It's pure vanilla and it's supposed to be great. We're picking some up in Puerto Vallarta in November.

Enoy your day is Ensenada~

Janie

Rick Bayless uses cazuelas and says they're fine if you don't use them for acidic stuff. I bought a small one for quacamole and a little piggy one for salsas.

 

Janie

Be careful. Guacamole has lime juice in it.

We'll be on a cruise that stops in Ensenada this coming Sat. Can anyone suggest what the best brand of Vanilla might be. I'm not familiar with the different brands. Not looking for the cheapest brand per se, but the best quality one.

 

Also, I'm looking for a "casuela" (sp?), does anyone know of the best place to buy kitchen stuff? I'm looking for Mexican-style cooking dishes...the kind that are terra cotta on the outside but have a shinny finish on the inside that you can use to cook in the oven. I'm also looking for dishes and serving bowls and platters.

 

Thanks for any suggestions!:D

I know that this response is going to come across as "snarky", and I really don't mean it to be, but if you were to put a bit more information in the Title than "Help Please"....there might be more responses, and those that do respond might be more helpful. I know nothing about Ensenada, but yet I clicked on your post. Just in case.

With nearly 4000 posts, I'm surprised that you didn't know that. Again, sorry if you feel offended that you wasted my time.

Be careful. Guacamole has lime juice in it.

Yeah, I do put lime in my quacamole but I'm 63 years old and it would take 30 years and almost daily use to cause me any harm. The people of Mexico have been cooking in and serving on leaded cazuelas for centuries and they sure have a large population! :D

Yeah, I do put lime in my quacamole but I'm 63 years old and it would take 30 years and almost daily use to cause me any harm. The people of Mexico have been cooking in and serving on leaded cazuelas for centuries and they sure have a large population! :D

Well, then, I guess it's okay. Then from your logic, the OP should also be okay since the OP probably won't use the dish everyday.

the best area CUSTOM store we have found is Fausto Pollanco

Their main store is within walking distance of the pier in Ensenada. We have not been there in years. It is mainly a furniture store, but it also has loads of small custom items,

here is a short video we a year or 2 ago made of the one in Rosarito (30 miles north). The ensenada main store is much larger. Great custom shop for gifts and WOW sights

There is a shop across from Mc Donalds that has every type of cazuela you might want, don't remember the name but it has a green striped awning atop it. Rick Bayless uses cazuelas and says they're fine if you don't use them for acidic stuff. I bought a small one for quacamole and a little piggy one for salsas. The best vanilla is by "Orlando's". It's pure vanilla and it's supposed to be great. We're picking some up in Puerto Vallarta in November.

 

Enoy your day is Ensenada~

 

Janie

Thank you for your response. I plan to buy a big bottle of vanilla as I use it a lot. I'll also definitely check out the store where you bought your cazuela.:)

Thank you for your response. I plan to buy a big bottle of vanilla as I use it a lot. I'll also definitely check out the store where you bought your cazuela.:)

I'm picking up a few more on my Mexican Riviera cruise in November~:D